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"Raising Champions" Event to Benefit Student Athletes Through the Atlas and Athena Programs

August 1, 2009

Join community leaders from Oregon and beyond to raise money to promote the health of Oregon's high school athletes using OHSU's proven effective ATLAS and ATHENA programs. High school athletes are at high risk for drug, alcohol and steroid use.

ATLAS and ATHENA, created locally at Oregon Health & Science University, are internationally-acclaimed, award-winning programs that focus on sports nutrition and exercise as alternatives to drug and alcohol use. OHSU is partnering with the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) in order to ensure that all of Oregon's high school athletes have access to these innovative and proven effective programs. Your support will provide athletes with the tools they need to make healthy decisions at a time when they are most vulnerable.

More About Atlas and Athena

ATLAS (Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids), a multi-component program for male high school athletes, first instituted in 1993, is scientifically shown to reduce risk factors and use of anabolic steroids, alcohol and other illicit drugs while promoting healthy nutrition and exercise behaviors. Proven results include: new substance use decreased 50 percent; new anabolic steroid use decreased 50 percent; occurrences of drinking and driving declined 24 percent; a lower index of alcohol and drug use; reduced use of performance-enhancing supplements; and improved nutrition and exercise behaviors.

ATHENA (Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternatives), which began reaching high schools for female athletes in 1997, features the promotion of healthy nutrition and effective exercise training as alternatives to harmful behaviors. The objectives are: reduce young women athletes' disordered eating habits; deter use of body-shaping substances; improve sport performance with guidelines targeting the specific needs of young women. Proven results include: less use of athletic enhancing substances; less use of diet pills; less riding in a car with a drinking driver; greater seatbelt use; less new sexual activity; improved nutrition behaviors and reduced long-term use of alcohol, marijuana and tobacco.